Patents Issued in March 11, 2014
  • Patent number: 8668285
    Abstract: A system for a slide-out platform in a rack mount case includes a slide-out platform configured to secure electronic equipment. The platform is slideably attached to the rack mount case using a first rail and a second rail. The first and second rail have a series of indexing holes in order to allow a dagger pin to secure the platform in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Becklin Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Dennis M. Becklin
  • Patent number: 8668286
    Abstract: The invention relates to a rail system for drawers, comprising a body rail to be fastened to a furniture body and at least one drawer rail that can be moved relative to the body rail, and comprising at least one gear rack arranged on a rail of the rail system, wherein the gear rack can be pivoted or bent relative to the rail to which said gear rack is fastened about an imaginary axis (A) extending in the pull-out direction of the rail and thus is mounted such that the gear rack can be moved vertically to a limited extent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Julius Blum GmbH
    Inventor: Ingo Gasser
  • Patent number: 8668287
    Abstract: A rail system for drawers includes a body rail to be fastened to a furniture body and at least one drawer rail that can be moved relative to the body rail, and includes at least one gear rack/gear wheel arrangement, characterized in that a limiting device is provided, which limits the immersion depth of the gear wheel relative to the gear rack, the teeth of the gear wheel meshing only partially in the corresponding tooth spaces of the gear rack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Julius Blum GmbH
    Inventor: Guenther Schwarzmann
  • Patent number: 8668288
    Abstract: The self-closing and opening device (1) particularly of a movable furniture part (103) comprises a fixed guide (8) having a supporting body (2) in which a first slider (3) can slide reversibly along a sliding axis (100) in opposition to and through the action of first elastic means (5), the first slider (3) being engageable with first driving means (106) present on a driving element (6) which slides reversibly in the direction of the sliding axis (100), the supporting body (2) comprising first movement means (4) for movement of the first slider (3) suitable to engage with guide means (12, 13) of the first slider (3), so as to release it from the driving means (106), also provided with a mechanical or elastically yielding stop (9, 120) against which the first slider (3) rests directly or indirectly before it engages with the guide means (12,13) in the first movement means (4) the driving element (6) being then pushed by an ejector (20) generating an initial opening movement of said movable furniture part (103)
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Inventor: Luciano Salice
  • Patent number: 8668289
    Abstract: An automatic door opening/closing apparatus automatically opening and closing a door without applying any manual force to the door, and a refrigerator having the automatic door opening/closing apparatus. The automatic door opening/closing apparatus devised to automatically open or close a sliding door that is mounted, in a drawer manner, to a refrigerator body, includes a drive device coupled to the sliding door to automatically open or close the sliding door with respect to the refrigerator body, an input part to receive an user input and to operate the drive device based on the user input, a sensing part to sense an open or closed state of the sliding door, and a controller to operate the drive device based on signals from the input part and signals from the sensing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jong Dal Lee, Jae Hoon Kim
  • Patent number: 8668290
    Abstract: A rack and pinion storage system for use in a refrigerator compartment defined by a liner includes a pair of supports attached to opposing sidewalls of the liner. First and second gear covers snap-fittingly connect first and second gear wheels to respective first and second mounting brackets extending from a storage basket, such that the gear wheels are rotatably connected to the storage basket and have equal rotational and linear motion along the respective supports. Retaining bars extending from the storage basket are held within channels defined between the bottom walls of the supports and top walls of opposing telescoping slide assemblies used to movably support a door of the compartment. Tabs extending from the supports limit the sliding movement of the storage basket. A removable divider connects to the storage basket, sectioning the basket into multiple storage compartments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Chad J. Rotter, Lester J. Ott, Steven G. Herndon
  • Patent number: 8668291
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for a metal clad facade includes a thin metal cladding having at least one edge. The facade or the object with which it is associated has at least one edge around which the metal cladding edge can be wrapped. The wrapped edge could optionally be crimped. Optionally, exposed edges of the cladding could be covered by raised bosses or ribs on the façade. Optionally, a projection or extension of the cladding, oblique to other parts of the cladding, could extend into an opening in or near a surface of the facade or its underlying object. Wrapping of at least one edge with the metal cladding provides the appearance of a more substantial metal part than if the edge were not wrapped and provides for a more securement and durable attachment between the cladding and the underlying object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce Arthur Kopf, Michael Allen Bowen, Todd Joseph Tunzi
  • Patent number: 8668292
    Abstract: There is provided a door of a refrigerator including: a door assembly which defines the appearance of the refrigerator door; an exterior member which is provided ahead of the door assembly to emit light; a connection member which connects the exterior member to the door assembly; a connection space which is formed between the door assembly and connection member; and a light-emitting means which is disposed at the connection space and emits light to the exterior member. There is an advantage in that it is possible to prevent dazzling of users, since the exterior member is not exposed to the outside and light is emitted via an end of the exterior member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Chanju Pae
  • Patent number: 8668293
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid from an ejecting nozzle provided in an ejecting head includes a first container that contains a first liquid and a second container that contains a second liquid. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a channel that selectively communicates with either the first or second container to supply the liquid contained therein to the ejecting head, a switching unit that performs a switching operation of switching between a first communicating state in which the channel communicates with the first container and a second communicating state in which the channel communicates with the second container. In addition, if the remaining amount of the second liquid contained in the second container is less than a predetermined value, prohibits the switching unit from performing the switching operation of switching from the second communicating state to the first communicating state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Harada
  • Patent number: 8668294
    Abstract: A method for operating an inkjet printer to form images that include both high density and low density segments has been developed. The method includes operating one printhead to eject ink drops with a large size to form high density segments of the image, and operating a second printhead to eject ink drops with a small size to form low density segments of the image. The large ink drops provide high coverage in the high density segments, and the small ink drops provide improved image quality in the low density segments of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: David Mantell, Jeffrey J. Folkins
  • Patent number: 8668295
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid droplet jetting apparatus including: a transporting mechanism; and a head moving mechanism configured to move the second liquid droplet jetting head between a first position facing the one surface of the object and a second position facing the other surface of the object. Under a condition that the second liquid droplet jetting head is arranged at the first position, a first nozzle row and a second nozzle row are arranged such that each of first nozzles is overlapped with one of second nozzles with respect to a nozzle-row direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroto Sugahara
  • Patent number: 8668296
    Abstract: A method of driving a liquid ejection head adapted to apply a voltage to the liquid ejection head to eject a liquid including a polymer is provided. The method includes raising the voltage from a first voltage to a second voltage; raising the voltage from the second voltage to a third voltage at a gradient larger than that in raising the voltage from the first to the second voltage, and then holding the voltage at the third voltage; dropping the voltage from the third voltage to a fourth voltage, and then holding the voltage at the fourth voltage; raising the voltage from the fourth voltage to a fifth voltage, and then holding the voltage at the fifth voltage; dropping the voltage from the fifth voltage to a sixth voltage, and then holding the voltage at the sixth voltage; and raising the voltage from the sixth voltage to a seventh voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kei Hiruma
  • Patent number: 8668297
    Abstract: There is provided a driver for an inkjet head, capable of smoothly driving the inkjet head. The driver for an inkjet head includes: an amplifying unit having a plurality of amplifiers individually outputting signals having voltage levels amplified in accordance with a predetermined gain in a predetermined cycle; a coupling unit coupling the signals outputted from the plurality of amplifiers as a single driving signal in accordance with a control signal; a controlling unit controlling the coupling of signals performed by the coupling unit; and a switching unit switching a signal transmission path through which the single driving signal is transmitted to an inkjet head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Byung Hun Kim
  • Patent number: 8668298
    Abstract: In a method to improve print quality of an ink printer, ink droplets of predetermined size are ejected by an ink print head via a nozzle. A time duration is determined since a last ejection of an ink droplet. The size of a next ink droplet to be ejected is controlled depending on the determined time duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Océ Printing Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Buschmann
  • Patent number: 8668299
    Abstract: To minimize deterioration in the dispersion of dots in an overlapping region between heads, a fluid-ejecting device includes: (A) a first nozzle column having first nozzles for ejecting a fluid; (B) a second nozzle column having second nozzles for ejecting a fluid and arranged to form an overlapping region in which an end portion toward one end in the predetermined direction overlaps an end portion at another end of the first nozzle column; and (C) a controller for ejecting a fluid from the first nozzle column and the second nozzle column in accordance with dot data indicating a dot size converted from inputted image data and ejecting the fluid from the second nozzles in the overlapping region in accordance with dot data obtained from a halftone process performed after multiplying the usage rate of the second nozzle column by incidence rate data for each of the dot sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Tanase, Toru Takahashi, Takamitsu Kondo, Hiroshi Wada
  • Patent number: 8668300
    Abstract: A multifunction machine includes: a first feeding roller and a second feeding roller; an intermediate roller pair provided to a curved portion of a transport route; a main transporting roller pair; a recording head; a first drive motor and a second drive motor; and a control section. The control section intermittently drives the main transporting roller pair and makes the recording head jet ink during a period of time in which the main transporting roller pair is stopped, and performs pre-paper feeding processing for rotating the first feeding roller a predetermined amount in a paper feeding direction when a rear end of a paper is positioned between a first sensor and the first feeding roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Samoto, Yuji Koga, Keisuke Wakakusa
  • Patent number: 8668301
    Abstract: A cavity is provided between a supply port which supplies the liquid which is received in the liquid reception unit to the outside and the liquid reception unit, with a variable portion which is deformed between the supply port and the liquid reception unit. The variable portion is urged using an urging member from the inside of the cavity through a pressure reception member. In addition, a change in a position of the pressure reception member can be detected using a detection unit. Further, a notch is provided at a surface where the pressure reception member comes into close contact with the urging member, in which the notch extends to the outside from the inside of the contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Karasawa, Yuji Aoki
  • Patent number: 8668302
    Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a plurality of color separation modules. Each color separation module includes an image receiving member and a printhead module configured to eject ink drops onto the image receiving member to form a color separation on the image receiving member. The printer is configured to transfix each color separation on each image receiving member to a single sheet to produce a composite ink image on the print medium after the print medium has passed by all of the color separation modules in the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Palghat S. Ramesh, Bruce E. Thayer, Rachael L. McGrath
  • Patent number: 8668303
    Abstract: An image recording device which includes a control unit which alternately performs, main-scannings in which the recording head is moved in the main-scanning direction while the recording head ejecting the liquid to form line images that extend in the main scanning direction and are adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction, and sub-scannings in which the recording head is moved in the sub-scanning direction, and a detection unit which detects a displacement of a mark which is formed on the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction, wherein the control unit adjusts a movement amount of the recording head which is moved in the sub-scanning direction in the sub-scannings on the basis of a detection result of the detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hideaki Sonehara
  • Patent number: 8668304
    Abstract: An inkjet printing system including an inkjet printer having a printhead and an inkjet ink in an ink tank supplying the inkjet ink to the printhead, wherein the ink tank includes a free ink compartment and a capillary media compartment vented to the atmosphere and in fluid communication with ink in the free ink compartment, and wherein the inkjet ink includes water, a self-dispersing carbon black pigment having greater than 11 weight % volatile surface functional groups, and a surfactant at a concentration of 0.10 weight percent or less, and having a static surface tension of 37.5 dynes/cm or less at 25° C. The system provides high print density and text sharpness when printed onto an ink receiving medium, and provides good performance in a bubbler-type ink tank which reduces the amount of ink trapped in the ink tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Mark Edward Irving, Kurt Michael Schroeder, Joseph W. Hoff
  • Patent number: 8668305
    Abstract: In a print group for an inkjet printing apparatus a printing unit is provided comprising a housing with print bars having print heads. A transport unit is provided for a printing substrate. Drive and guidance units are arranged per print bar which move the print bars independently of one another in a perpendicular direction from a printing position into a transport position and back. In a park unit racks are provided for protective cap bars. A protective cap bar is provided per print bar which when coupled to said print bar seals it. Print bars in an operating position not provided for printing are in the transport position and are coupled with associated protective cap bars. Print bars in said operating position for printing are in the printing position and their associated protective cap bars are arranged in the park unit racks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Océ Printing Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Augustinus Achatz, Andreas Mueller, Robert Sigismund, Sebastian Wachter
  • Patent number: 8668306
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head including: a head unit having a nozzle forming surface on which a plurality of rows of nozzles ejecting a liquid are arranged and of which the nozzle forming surface is wiped by a wiping member along an arrangement direction of the nozzle rows; and a fixing member, wherein the fixing member has a fixing plate section on which an exposure opening section exposing the nozzles of the nozzle forming surface is formed and of which an upper surface is joined to the nozzle forming surface as a fixing reference surface in a state where the nozzle is exposed into the exposure opening section, and a cutout section, which opens the exposure opening section in the wiping direction and exposes an edge portion of the nozzle forming surface, is formed downstream of the wiping member in the wiping direction in the exposure opening section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Eguchi, Shigeki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8668307
    Abstract: A printing system including an ink deposition unit that could be oriented and move along a long axis of an image segment to be printed. The system prints images occupying a number of segments of a substrate surface at a substantially shorter time than the existing printing systems operating in raster mode would print.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: DIP-Tech Ltd
    Inventors: Arnon Lewartowski, Yaakov Levi, Rom Condrea
  • Patent number: 8668308
    Abstract: A printhead assembly includes a plurality of inkjet ejector arrays having corresponding ink receptacles. Each inkjet array is formed from a plurality of inkjet stack layers that are bonded to a single aperture layer that flexes to position the inkjet arrays at a predetermined distance from a curved image receiving surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Trevor Snyder, Brent Rodney Jones
  • Patent number: 8668309
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a first nozzles for ejecting first fluid are lined up in a predetermined direction; a second nozzles for ejecting second fluid are lined up in a movement direction; and a control unit which sets a first method of when formation of a main image with the first fluid and formation of a background image with the second fluid are performed to overlap the main image and the background image with each other on the medium, in a case where one of the nozzle group of the part of the first nozzles and the nozzle group of the part of the second nozzles is positioned closer to the other direction side of the predetermined direction than the other nozzle group to perform the image formation on a predetermined area of the medium in advance of the other nozzle group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidenori Usuda, Yoshihiko Matsuzawa, Mitsuaki Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 8668310
    Abstract: A liquid-ejecting head includes a pressure-generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening, and a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element has piezoelectric layer contains a perovskite complex oxide containing Bi, La, Fe, and Mn and can undergo electric-field-induced phase transition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Yonemura, Hiromu Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 8668311
    Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator includes a thin film sheet, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The thin film sheet is to physically deform in response to an electric field induced within the thin film sheet. The first electrode is embedded within the thin film sheet. The second electrode is embedded within the thin film sheet, and is interdigitated in relation to the first electrode. The electric field is induced within the thin film sheet via application of a voltage across the first and the second electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Tony S. Cruz-Uribe, Peter Mardilovich
  • Patent number: 8668312
    Abstract: A printhead includes a substrate and monolithic liquid jetting structure including a nozzle, deflection mechanism, and catcher. The nozzle, through which a liquid jet is ejected in a direction substantially parallel to a first surface of the substrate, includes material layers formed on the first surface of the substrate. At least one of the material layers of the nozzle includes a drop forming mechanism actuated to form liquid drops from the liquid jet. The deflection mechanism is associated with the liquid jet and deflects portions of the liquid jet between first and second paths. Liquid drops formed from portions of the liquid jet following the first path and the second path continue to follow the first path and the second path, respectively. The catcher, including a material layer formed on the first surface of the substrate, collects liquid drops following one of the paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yonglin Xie, Qing Yang
  • Patent number: 8668313
    Abstract: A printhead includes a substrate, catcher, and monolithic liquid jetting structure including a nozzle and deflection mechanism. A liquid jet is ejected through the nozzle in a direction substantially parallel to a first surface of the substrate. The nozzle includes material layers formed on the first surface of the substrate. At least one of the material layers of the nozzle includes a drop forming mechanism actuated to form liquid drops from the liquid jet. The deflection mechanism is associated with the liquid jet and deflects portions of the liquid jet between first and second paths. The liquid drops formed from portions of the liquid jet following the first path and second path continue to follow the first path and second path, respectively. The catcher includes a liquid drop contact surface including a portion of the first surface of the substrate and collects liquid drops following the second path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yonglin Xie, Qing Yang
  • Patent number: 8668314
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a liquid tank, a first passage, a second passage, a pressure unit, and a control valve. The first passage is connected to the head to supply liquid to the head. The second passage is connected to the tank. The pressure unit is disposed at the second passage to apply pressure to liquid in the second passage. The control valve includes an internal channel to connect the first and second passages, an expandable liquid retaining chamber connected to the internal channel to retain the liquid, and a valve member disposed in the internal channel to open and close the first and second passages and movable by a flow of liquid from the chamber to the first passage created by ejection of liquid from the head to communicate the second passage with the first passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomomi Katoh
  • Patent number: 8668315
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including: a main tank, a sub tank, a liquid ejecting head, a first supply channel member, a second supply channel member, and a pump device. The first liquid supply channel includes an upstream-side supply channel, and a downstream-side supply channel. The pump device includes a first chamber, a second chamber, and a transfer-force applying section. The first chamber inlet is connected to a downstream-side end portion of the upstream-side supply channel. The first chamber outlet and the second chamber inlet are connected to the transfer-force applying section. The second chamber outlet is connected to the downstream-side supply channel. The first chamber outlet is provided to an upper-end portion of the first chamber. The second chamber outlet is provided to an upper-end portion of the second chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shuichi Tamaki
  • Patent number: 8668316
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head is constructed by providing a recording element substrate on a supporting member. The recording element substrate has at least one thermal energy generating element and a liquid supply port for supplying liquid to the element. The supporting member has three or more supply flow paths running therethrough. Two or more beams are formed in each of the supply flow paths. The gap between the beams formed in each of the end supply flow paths is greater than the gap between the beams formed in an inside supply from path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sayaka Takahashi, Chiaki Muraoka, Masafumi Takimoto
  • Patent number: 8668317
    Abstract: A second sealing film F2 is thermally bonded onto a leading end portion R1 of an ink lead-out member 32b of an ink pack and an annular projecting portion R2 provided on an ink casing 31. Thereby, a gap D produced between the ink lead-out member 32b and the ink casing 31 can be closed from outside the ink casing 31. Accordingly, the airtightness of a space S in the ink casing 31 is kept, thus making it possible to raise the pressure in the space S and generate such a force as to crush the ink pack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Taku Ishizawa, Takeo Seino, Hitotoshi Kimura
  • Patent number: 8668318
    Abstract: A leveling and spreading system has been developed that enables the speed and position of the web to be determined from a sensor on a first roller. In a duplex print process, the first roller also reduces a temperature of the media web and an ink image printed in the first side print operation to within a first predetermined temperature range. A second roller modulates the temperature of the media web and ink ejected onto the media web immediately before the web enters the leveling and spreading system to within a second predetermined temperature range to enable uniformity of the ink and web temperatures for spreading the ink in a nip formed with a third roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: James M. Chappell, Jason M. LeFevre, James E. Williams, Paul McConville, Paul S. Bonino, James Spence, Roger G. Leighton, Michael F. Leo, Joseph C. Sheflin, Michael J. Levy, Howard A. Mizes
  • Patent number: 8668319
    Abstract: In one example, a liquid dispensing device includes a printhead assembly having a liquid port through which liquid may move between a removable liquid container and the printhead assembly and an air port through which air may flow to and from the container. A pressure source is operatively connected to the air port to pressurize the container to push liquid from the container through the liquid port into the printhead assembly. A vent is operatively connected to the air port to vent the pressurized container to draw froth from the printhead assembly through the liquid port into the container. In another example, a method for priming a printhead assembly includes pushing liquid from a container into the printhead assembly through a liquid port and then pulling froth from the printhead assembly into the container through the liquid port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Curt Gonzales, Jeana M Kanyer
  • Patent number: 8668320
    Abstract: A treatment liquid for ink jet recording, containing a polyvalent metal ion and water. A dissolved carbon dioxide concentration in the treatment liquid is 4 mg/l or lower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaya Fujioka, Noriaki Satoh
  • Patent number: 8668321
    Abstract: An ink jet recording method includes an image formation step of forming an image on a recording medium having an ink-receiving layer by ejecting an ink from an ink jet recording head and a humidification step of humidifying a gap between the recording head and the recording medium, in which in the image formation step, an ink containing a specified dye represented by general formula (I) and a water-soluble organic compound having an inorganic-organic balance value of 1.4 or more to 2.7 or less is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yojiro Kojima, Yukako Tamanuki, Shogo Takemoto, Satoshi Kudo, Yoshio Kinoshita, Kumiko Mafune
  • Patent number: 8668322
    Abstract: An ink composition includes a compound having a structure represented by the following Formula (I), a polymerization initiator and water; wherein, in Formula (I), R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; X1 represents —O— or —NH—; A1 represents —O— or —NH—; M1 represents a metal atom; and n represents an integer of from 1 to 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Yasuda
  • Patent number: 8668323
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a printing device including: a plurality of heads configured to discharge inks cured by light irradiation and arranged in a transport direction of a medium; a plurality of pre-curing light sources provided in correspondence with the plurality of heads and configured to irradiate pre-curing light to dots formed on the medium by the heads; and a completely-curing light source configured to irradiate completely-curing light to the dots to which the light from the plurality of pre-curing light sources is irradiated, wherein a first printing mode in which a background ink is discharged from a head of an upstream side of the transport direction of the heads for discharging color inks and a second printing mode in which the background ink is discharged from a head of a downstream side of the transport direction of the heads for discharging the color inks are present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Onishi
  • Patent number: 8668324
    Abstract: An image forming method includes applying an ink composition including water, a pigment, a water-soluble organic solvent and polymer particles to a recording medium at an application amount of the ink composition of 6 g/m2 or more with respect to the recording medium, drying by heating the recording medium to which the ink composition has been applied, cooling the recording medium which has been subjected to the drying by heating to reduce a temperature of the recording medium at least 5° C. from the temperature immediately after the drying by heating, applying a powder to the ink composition applied side of the recording medium which has been cooled, and stacking the recording medium to which the powder has been applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Masao Ikoshi
  • Patent number: 8668325
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes first liquid ejecting nozzles that eject first liquid; a second liquid ejecting nozzle that ejects second liquid which is different from the first liquid; and a control unit which performs control of ejection of the first liquid from the first liquid ejecting nozzles and ejection of the second liquid from the second liquid ejecting nozzles. The control unit has a first mode of performing control to form flushing dots by ejection from the first liquid ejecting nozzles on a recording medium, the ejection not being based on image data, form background dots by ejection from the second liquid ejecting nozzle on the flushing dots, the ejection being based on the image data, and form image dots by ejection from the first liquid ejecting nozzles on the background dots, the ejection being based on the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidenori Usuda, Seiya Sato, Shinichi Kamoshida, Koichiro Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 8668326
    Abstract: A printer includes a release agent detector that responds to release agent contacting the detector by generating a signal. The signal is processed by a controller to alter operation of the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Edward Francis Burress
  • Patent number: 8668327
    Abstract: A particle dispersion supply apparatus includes a roller, an ejection device and a particle dispersion permeation member. The roller rotates in a prescribed direction and touches an image formation face of a recording medium being conveyed by a conveyance body. The ejection device is disposed to oppose the roller at a roller rotation direction upstream side relative to the position at which the roller touches the image formation face of the recording medium, and ejects a particle dispersion in which numerous particles are dispersed in a liquid. The particle dispersion permeation member is disposed so as to be interposed between the ejection device and the roller and so as to contact the roller. The particle dispersion permeation member retains the particle dispersion and the particle dispersion can permeate therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Makimoto, Akihiro Hashiguchi, Kiyoshi Irita
  • Patent number: 8668328
    Abstract: A printer includes an array of rollers, an array of printing elements, and a positioning structure. The array of rollers is arranged in a first arc configuration to rollingly support a media web in a first orientation. The array of printing elements is arranged in a second arc configuration along the first orientation and movable relative to the array of rollers to selectively modify a space there between. Each respective printing element is aligned directly above one of the respective rollers to define a printing unit. A positioning structure is configured to releasably secure each printing unit at one position of a plurality of positions along the respective first and second arc configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Paul C. Ray, Thomas J. Tarnacki, Mun Yew Lee, Robert J. Manders, Michael J. Baeten
  • Patent number: 8668329
    Abstract: A printing apparatus has a path for transporting flat items in the x-direction, and allows insertion and removal of a box-shaped module along the y-direction. The box-shaped module has a pressure device that exerts pressure in the z-direction on the flat items to be transported. The x-direction, y-direction and z-direction are orthogonal to one another. The components of the box-shaped module in combination with guides of the printing apparatus cooperate to initially move the pressure device along the z-direction during insertion of the box-shaped module into the printing apparatus and to move said box pressure device opposite along the z-direction upon reaching a predetermined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia GmbH
    Inventors: Axel Ortmann, Wolfgang Muhl, Dieter Woelm
  • Patent number: 8668330
    Abstract: Eyewear is provided that can comprise a frame, a lens, and at least one lens retention mechanism that can secure the lens relative to the frame. The frame can support at least one lens in a field of view of a wearer. The frame can include a first ear stem and a second ear stem that allows the frame to be worn on the wearer's head. The retention mechanism can be supported by the frame and/or the lens and can be movable or fixed relative to the frame and/or the lens. In some embodiments, the retention mechanism comprises a latch device having an engagement structure that moves along a path of motion that intersects the lens. The retention component can engage an engagement portion of the lens to securing the lens relative to the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Oakley, Inc.
    Inventors: Carlos Reyes, Ryan Anthony Calilung, Jason Paul Janavicius, Hanz Karsten Moritz
  • Patent number: 8668331
    Abstract: A method for optimizing the performance in centration, rotation and stability of contact lenses makes use of the upper and lower eyelid geometries to maximize the lens-lid interaction for two different contact lens positions on the eye. The contact lenses are non-round lenses for maximum interaction with the eyelids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
    Inventors: Pierre-Yves Gerligand, Philippe F. Jubin, Timothy A. Clutterbuck, Radhakrishnan Damodharan
  • Patent number: 8668332
    Abstract: A toric contact lens having a prism ballast structure, wherein a center optical area, an annular transition area surrounding the center optical area determining a refractive degree, and an annular peripheral area surrounding the transition area, are defined on a lens front surface. A shape of the lens front surface has a mirror symmetry with a vertical meridian as a boundary, in such a manner that a thickness is smoothly decreased toward a lens lower end portion from two maximum thickness portions and where the thickness of the lens is maximum, and a valley-shaped slab-off is formed between these maximum thickness portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Takaharu Nakajima, Naoki Tsuji
  • Patent number: 8668333
    Abstract: An ophthalmic toric lens to be worn on an eye or implanted inside of an eye, the lens includes an anterior surface, a posterior surface, and a toric shape formed into one of the anterior and posterior surfaces, the toric shape comprising two non-spherical principle meridians each having a region within an annular area of optical zone and the region of one principle meridian being configured for producing a longitudinal ray aberration of a different sign than a longitudinal ray aberration sign from the region of another principle meridian.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Inventor: Valdemar Portney
  • Patent number: 8668334
    Abstract: A binocular viewer, a method of measuring and training vision that uses a binocular viewer and a vision measurement and training system that employs a computer to control the binocular viewer. In one embodiment, the binocular viewer has left and right display elements and comprises: (1) a variable focal depth optical subsystem located in an optical path between the display elements and a user when the user uses the binocular viewer and (2) a control input coupled to the left and right display elements and the variable focal depth optical subsystem and configured to receive control signals operable to place images on the left and right display elements and vary a focal depth of the variable focal depth optical subsystem. In another embodiment, the binocular viewer lacks the variable focal depth optical subsystem, but the images include at least one feature unique to one of the left and right display elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Vital Art and Science Incorporated
    Inventor: William R. Krenik